Foreign cheques and UK bank accounts

It’s very difficult to communicate with the American annuity company. I don’t think they understand the problem.

I intended to open a NatWest savings account as PoA and phoned to be told yes I could do this but I needed an appointment to open an account. But … when I phoned for the appointment, I was told no I could not put an American cheque in so that was a waste of my time!

Just to add, my dividend cheque is in Australian dollars, not sure if that makes a difference?

ronib

It’s impossible to get First Direct, Barclays, Nat West, Halifax to accept an American cheque.
The annuity company sent me a form stating Direct deposit requests can only be accepted for U.S. bank accounts
So am truly stuck.

Nat West does accept foreign cheques according to their website, but they must be processed in-branch or via post, rather than through the mobile app. These cheques, which must be in foreign currency or drawn on foreign banks, typically take up to 12 weeks to clear. Fees apply based on the cheque value, and they can be returned unpaid for up to 7 years due to fraud.
NatWest
I just checked because I’ve got a NatWest account, and I still get a share dividend annually as a cheque, which I’ve always taken to the bank and paid in without an issue.

My husband has always posted sterling cheques to our grandsons in the Republic of Ireland, but their dad has now told us that the Irish banks won't accept the cheques any more.

I don't know what the reasoning is.

We did a direct bank transfer yesterday instead. It was so much nicer to just tuck a cheque into a birthday card!

It’s impossible to get First Direct, Barclays, Nat West, Halifax to accept an American cheque.
The annuity company sent me a form stating Direct deposit requests can only be accepted for U.S. bank accounts
So am truly stuck.

Casdon

Can your friend not pay the cheque into her bank account, and take the money out later, that must still be possible?

Many banks are refusing to accept foreign cheques now.
I think Santander may be one which does but it takes weeks to clear.

We had this problem years ago with dividends from US shares. The bank charged more than the cheque was worth. In the end we gave up and eventually the US bank noticed we hadn’t cashed any cheques so sent us 1 large cheque which we deposited at great cost into our current account.

Can your friend not pay the cheque into her bank account, and take the money out later, that must still be possible?

Ask your bank. Few if any European banks accept or issue cheques any longer, but it seems quite impossible to get this into the heads of Americans, be they private citizens, businesses or banks.

If your bank will provide you with an e-mail stating that they do not accept cheques any longer, and that any monies transfered to any European country must sent by wire transfer, you could forward it to the bank that issued the cheque.

Don't hold your breath, though, as a friend of mine has tried unsuccessfully for three months now to get an American firm of solicitors to accept this.

Why do they make life more difficult!!

Many banks won't accept foreign cheques now.
If the cheque was from a family member or someone she knows well, could she (or you) ask them to transfer the money through something like Western Union instead and destroy the cheque?

I use WISE for foreign transfers as the rate of exchange and fees are better than banks.